Fewer than half of the ‘diverse children’s books’ published last year in the UK were by British minoritised ethnic, disabled or neurodivergent authors and illustrators according to the new Excluded Voices report by Inclusive Books for Children (IBC). The report surveys baby and toddler books for ages 1 to 3, picture books for ages 3 […]
The winners of The Week Junior Book Awards 2026 have been announced at a ceremony held at the BFI Southbank and hosted by Fun Kids presenter Bex Lindsay. Authors and illustrators across 14 categories were celebrated with awards for graphic novels, poetry collections, picture books and more. Judges included Joe Wicks, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Rhys Stephenson […]
The shortlists for the seventh Diverse Book Awards have been announced with a new children’s category this year: non-fiction. The Diverse Book Awards highlight the ‘outstanding diverse and inclusive books’ published by authors based in the UK and Ireland during 2026 and more than 200 books were submitted across the children’s and adult categories. Readers […]
The longlists for the UKLA Book Awards, the only national awards judged by teachers, have been announced. Tailored to be useful for teachers in schools across the UK, there are three age categories for fiction and poetry and a category for Information books. This year’s longlists feature books in translation, past winners, exciting debuts and […]
The winners of the Wainwright Prizes, the UK’s nature and conservation writing awards, were announced at a special ceremony held at the Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent on Thursday 17 September. Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane’s The Book of Birds (Hamish Hamilton) was awarded the 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year, with Thomas Halliday […]
The School Library Association has announced the shortlists for the Secondary School Librarian of the Year Award, sponsored by Bloomsbury Publishing, and the Peter Usborne Primary School Library of the Year Award. This is the 21st anniversary of the Secondary School Librarian of the Year Award which celebrates the achievements of librarians who support reading […]
The Languages of Children’s Books, a new one-day mini-festival for the National Year of Reading and World Kid Lit Month, brings together the UK’s children’s book world to celebrate translation and linguistic diversity on Thursday 17 September, at University of Reading and online Young people in the UK are increasingly multilingual. More than 20% of […]
The third annual Michael Rosen Day will take place on Thursday 12 November. Schools and others are invited to join this ‘unmissable celebration of poetry and stories’ to celebrate the nation’s favourite funny poet. It’s been a big year for Rosen: he turned 80 this year and won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most […]
Reflecting Disability has announced the results of its study into the representation of disabled people in children’s books showing that 10% of children’s books feature disabled people in some way. Funded by Arts Council England with analysis carried out by The Reading Agency, it is the first project of its kind to offer a comprehensive […]
Forest Xiao has been awarded the 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize for most exciting and promising newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. She wins for Seven Babies (Walker Books), which tells how, one Thursday morning, a box containing seven babies arrives unannounced at a doorstep. Feeding, bathing and entertaining the babies exhausts the two adults in […]
The Inclusive Books for Children Awards are open for publisher submissions. Now in their fourth year, the awards celebrate ‘exceptional literature’ for readers aged one to nine across three categories. Winning authors and illustrators share a prize fund of £30,000 and will appear at the Hay Festival in 2027. The IBC Awards seek out new […]
The Wainwright Prize, the UK’s top nature and conservation writing awards, have announced their 2026 shortlists. The awards showcase writing that reflects the values of its namesake, Alfred Wainwright: the celebration of nature and our environment, nurturing respect for our planet, and informing readers of the threats that the earth currently faces. The shortlists include […]
The longlists for the seventh Diverse Book Awards have been announced, with organisers hoping that these ‘outstanding books’ will be seen as essential reading on a national level, highlighting the outstanding diverse and inclusive books published by authors based in the UK and Ireland during 2025. Abiola Bello, co-founder of The DBAs says, ‘We are […]
The cross-party Education Committee has today published its report on ‘Reading for Pleasure’ after taking evidence from education experts, the publishing industry, charities and the author and previous Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce. The Committee calls for the government to commit to a National Reading Guarantee, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to enjoy […]
On Monday 6 July 2026, Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition, held its Grand Finale at Shakespeare’s Globe, London and crowned four young people National Champions. The competition invites young people to choose a poem, learn it by heart and perform it aloud. Set up in 2012 by then Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew […]
John Agard was announced as winner of the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) this afternoon at a ceremony at the National Theatre on London’s Southbank, watched live by thousands of primary school children. He wins for his collection The Poetry World of John Agard, illustrated by Shirley Hottier (Otter-Barry Books). John Agard won the CLiPPA with […]
Asli Jensen and her editor Shalini Vallepur are the winners of the 2026 Branford Boase Award given to the year’s outstanding debut novel for young people with Love on Sight (Chicken House). Love on Sight is a contemporary romance exploring the relationship between two young people living on a council estate in London. They are […]
Congratulations to Patrice Lawrence who has been named as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2026-2028, taking on the mantle from Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Managed by BookTrust and sponsored by Waterstones, the Laureate role celebrates creativity and storytelling, promotes the vital importance of reading and children’s literature, and champions the right of every child to enjoy a lifetime […]
Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.
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